Lonely children need parental care

Children, who tend to be lonely, spending hours on end with smart phones, require affectionate care and attention of parents in the backdrop of the Blue Whale challenge scare, K. Ramakrishnan, Director, Athma Hospitals, has said.

Opportunity to connect with peers with similar lonely mindset is the main reason why children in a state of depression get drawn to the game, Dr. Ramakrishnan explained, while addressing a programme held recently in connection with 'World Suicide Prevention Day'.

Children must be freed from pressure to perform, and parents must make it a point to spend considerable quality time with them to prevent suicidal instincts, he said, elaborating on this year's theme ‘Take a minute, change a life'.

Every 90 minutes a teenager tries to commit suicide in India. Many of the attempts are half-hearted cries for attention, help and love. But every six hours, one succeeds.

India accounts for one-fourth of suicides in the country. In most cases, they are due to emotional impulse and can be prevented through a minute of contemplation.

The Athma Suicide Prevention Centre received 3,483 calls during 2016-17, of which 189 were made by adolescents with suicidal ideas. The Centre has been preventing suicides through the 24/7 helplines: 9842422121 and 8012522133.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/lonely-children-need-parental-care/article19702226.ece